Archive for December, 2005

The yarn I used was too thin (simply because I had this yarn and I was dying to use it already)

The needles were too large (same reason)

I made it too short because I was lazy and afraid that I might run out of yarn.

And STILL it turned out ok. I’m not crazy about it, but it’s not the pattern’s fault – if something managed to turn out pretty good even after I did everything possible to make it go wrong, that must mean it’s a very good pattern. I might just make another when I feel like going through another month of mind-numbing "k1, ktbl, k3, ktbl"

I gave it to mom as a very late birthday gift and she was thrilled with it. Then again, this is the same mom who was thrilled with my Empty-toilet-paper-rolls-and-cheese-box projects from kindergarden, so she’s pretty trained about getting wierd experiments from me and showing the proper amount of enthusiasm.

I’ve had these drawers forever – They started out white and plain, and they were part of the desk that my parents got me probably around the time I started school. Photographic evidence of the existance of this set of drawers dates back to when I was 10 – that’s 1988 for you – and I’m really not sure how come this is the only piece of furniture that survived from my childhood room. It’s absolute crap, lightweight and made of chipboard, which is the equivalent of very dense cardboard. The drawers have faded and lost colour, and trust me, white is a very hard colour to lose.

A few years ago I decorated it with drawing from Moomin books and it’s now enjoying a new life as my "new" set of drawers under my really new desk.

About 2 years ago I got a phone call asking me if I wanted to participate in a craft fair. I could rent a stall and sell crafty stuff – which could have been a great idea, had I not been busy planning my wedding and trying to recooperate from 4 years in college.

However, I arranged with a friend to rent a stall together, and was all set except for one thing – I didn’t have a thing to sell.

I started sketching some ideas, and one of my favourites was making clay dolls which can function as little pots for small plants. I went and got the clay, and started making the pots. I was planning to make little cooks for herb pots, little girls for flower pots and little boys for cactus pots.

5 hours later I had one cook and one boy, and both were not doing so well and kind of falling apart. They refused to stick to the little pots. They were taking forever. There was no way I could have enough little people to sell, and unless I could sell the little broken cook and "fragment boy" for 200$ each, I wasn’t going to make much of a profit, either.

I decided to save the idea for another time. However, as a reminder of my first ever craft fair, I saved these:

Well, actually I saved them because they’re pretty cool as just heads. And the cook’s other ear? it’s really not there.

In case you’re wondering, I ended up making a bunch of rings from Keyboard keys to sell at the fair. I still have them. All of them. Let’s just say the fair wasn’t a huge success, shall we, and leave it at that.

But enough about the past – today Sarai and I went on a little shopping trip together.

I didn’t buy the bag. But if you pay close attention, you’ll notice the bag is full..

…of yarn

It was really, REALLY hard to resist, and I really needed those 2 balls of violet yarn and the one purple ball for the sweater I plan to make for Mirit’s baby. As for the rest of them..?

uhh..

well..

There are some basic colours there for making finger puppets.. and I promise to replace the black yarn because it turns out I already have an identical ball at home (ok, ok, I have two. Get off my case)

I dare ANYONE to look at this yarn and not buy it. It has colors like the beach on an autumn day. It has 30% wool. If I could afford enough of it, I would knit a Jedi cape from it. I must stop watching Star Wars before I go to sleep.

Sarai bought some bright green yarn to make Kyoto, and I intend to post a picture here once she is done (which might be next year, but now she will have to finish it SOMETIME. Muhahahaha).

I change the purpose of the box every year or so – it has already stored paint, craft stuff, and now it stores jewelry and watches.

Today is my 4th day working from home – until now I have learned that it takes a lot of adjustment, and that being a freelancer requires a strong ability to concentrate, will power to stay focused on projects – even the boring ones, faith that the next job will come if you only wish for it hard enough (and advertise yourself like a madwoman), and a big wide ass to sit on and work work work work work.

What’s common to both of these crafts is that they are pretty easy and look extremely impressive when done. I’m a sucker for any craft that looks like you spent hours on it.

Tutorials for magnets can be found here (with nice packaging here, or if you live in a country that has Altoids candy, you can pack them in Altoids tins)

The beads are made from Polymer clay canes (the cutest ones are here, and these are not bad either), sliced, and stuck onto a ball which is then rolled between your palms. My sister in law found out that if you coat them with nail polish after they’re done, they look way better…

Ayelet’s link from the last entry inspired me to contemplate and experiment with making myself a better person (Try it out guys – it’s fun!). I’ve been having trouble lately, trying to close the huge gap between who I am:

I would have made myself more chubby, but this software was so nice it wouldn’t let me…

and who I really want to be:

Now that’s better, don’t you think?

Did you ever get the feeling that you were made for greater things, and you’re not living to your full potential? Well – lately it has been on my mind a lot. I’m not sure how to tackle this feeling, but I’ve decided to deal with one thing at a time…

So – each week I will decide on one issue I want to concentrate on. You’re all invited to try it too, and tell me how you’re doing (You think I can’t see you giggling with disbelief? Be a sport!).

This week’s issue: getting the weight off.

I choose not to take myself, or anybody else, too seriously. Everything is managable, and every problem has a solution just waiting to be found.

Also, I officialy annouce next week as "old projects" week – in which I will take a picture every day of a project I made in my crafty past and post it. Hopefully, May will do the same (or I shall have to revoke her administrator rights ;))

It’s not like nothing happened this week. A whole lot, in fact, happened. Quitting my job happened. I almost got a whole book to illustrate, but didn’t. Sasi, Ez’s parents’ cat died, and they got a new cat. That also happened. And Yael had a girl this morning. And my brother will be moving to San Francisco in 2 months. And I go a lot of gifts lately, postcards from Penelope and a new bag and purse and scarf from work (If I knew they were going to give me gifts I would have left ages ago!) and a necklace from mom and they all deserve to be photographed from various angles and put in the blog because they are all so pretty and nice and colorful and I also MADE some stuff and found stuff I made a long time ago and I finally have someplace to put a picture of it but the camera’s batteries died.

But mostly I quit my job. I did it because I wanted to, because I wanted to try freelancing, because I got paid so little working at the studio that it just felt silly to go on working there. Because I want to try to illustrate and maybe write, and make some new sites and learn some new things. It will take time. I will need to adjust. But it will all be mine – the success and the failure, and for better an worse nobody is going to take credit for the things I do anymore.

On Wednesday I went to the studio and deleted everything from my computer (There goes my MSN smiley collection, which was, incidentaly, my biggest achievement in the 1.5 years I worked there) and packed all my stuff in a cardboard box, just like some kitch American movie. I brought cake and got the gifts and said this isn’t goodbye because I was still going to do some freelance work for the studio and everyone said I will be missed and I stood there at the door, feeling very cool and brave about just leaving while the others stay stuck there, but wondering at the same time if it was too late to change my mind.

Then I went home and found this line in Polka Dot Mittens who is currently busy completing projects that she hasn’t completed in years (and doing wonderfully at it – I really like her stuff):

"I have worked on this to the point where I am starting to be able
to see its potential and I think it’s maybe actually pretty good, and I
am stone cold terrified to finish it and put it out there and risk
rejection, or even worse, SUCCESS"

Well said, Tammy. well said.

And I’m also working on making Christmas illustrations for the doodle-buying people. Yey. So not my mood

About the sheep

My name is Ayelet.
I'm a designer, illustrator, mom to baby Toam (born in May 2008), knitter, somewhat-crafty, and mostly trying to figure out how everything fits together.

I try to live ecologically but sensibly. I'll recycle plastic for the rest of my life if you promise to never take away my clothes dryer.

This blog was given to me as a gift from my husband, Ez, on my 27th birthday and I've been using it since then as a sort of think tank/storage space for my thoughts, ideas, illustrations and crafty projects.